Shaq Uncut


Book Description

Superman. Diesel. The Big Aristotle. Shaq Fu. The Big Daddy. The Big Shaqtus. Wilt Chamberneezy. The Real Deal. The Big Shamrock. Shaq. You know him by any number of names, and chances are you know all about his legendary basketball career: Shaquille "Shaq" O'Neal is a four-time NBA champion and a three-time NBA Finals MVP. After being an All-American at Louisiana State University, he was the overall number one draft pick in the NBA in 1992. In his 19-year career, Shaq racked up 28,596 career points (including 5,935 free throws!), 13,099 rebounds, 3,026 assists, 2,732 blocks, and 15 All-Star appearances. These are statistics that are almost as massive as the man himself. His presence-both physically and psychologically-made him a dominant force in the game for two decades. But if you follow the game, you also know that there's a lot more to Shaquille O'Neal than just basketball. Shaq is famous for his playful, and at times, provocative personality. He is, literally, outsize in both scale and persona. Whether rapping on any of his five albums, challenging celebrities on his hit television show "Shaq Vs.," studying for his PhD or serving as a reserve police officer, there's no question that Shaq has led a unique and multi-dimensional life. And in this rollicking new autobiography, Shaq discusses his remarkable journey, including his candid thoughts on teammates and coaches like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Phil Jackson, and Pat Riley. From growing up in difficult circumstances and getting cut from his high school basketball team to his larger-than-life basketball career, Shaq lays it all out in Shaq Uncut: My Story.




Cool Bros Read!


Book Description

Cool Bros Read is a literary adventure through the eyes of the globally recognized literary activist, Sidney Keys III. Keys began his journey has he saw a need to bring awareness to books with character that look like him. So he started his own book club turned business, Books N Bros(R). Join him on this ride as he walks readers through his journey with real-life illustrations and photos!




I Promise


Book Description

An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! An Instant Indie Bestseller! *An Amazon Best Book of the Year * A B&N Best Book of the Year* A great gift for tiny go-getters and big dreamers, including for back to school! NBA champion and superstar LeBron James pens a slam-dunk picture book inspired by his foundation’s I PROMISE program that motivates children everywhere to always #StriveForGreatness. Just a kid from Akron, Ohio, who is dedicated to uplifting youth everywhere, LeBron James knows the key to a better future is to excel in school, do your best, and keep your family close. I Promise is a lively and inspiring picture book that reminds us that tomorrow’s success starts with the promises we make to ourselves and our community today. Featuring James’s upbeat, rhyming text and vibrant illustrations perfectly crafted for a diverse audience by #1 New York Times bestselling and Geisel Honor winning artist Nina Mata, this book has the power to inspire all children and families to be their best. Perfect for shared reading in and out of the classroom, I Promise is also a great gift for graduation, birthdays, and other occasions. Plus check out the audiobook, read by LeBron James's mother and I Promise School supporter Gloria James!




Earl the Pearl


Book Description

Earl "The Pearl" Monroe is a basketball legend whose impact on the game transcends statistics, a player known as much for his unorthodox, "playground" style of play as his championship pedigree. Observers said that watching him play was like listening to jazz, his moves resembling freefloating improvisations. "I don't know what I'm going to do with the ball," Monroe once admitted, "and if I don't know, I'm quite sure the guy guarding me doesn't know either." Traded to the New York Knicks before the 1971–72 season, Monroe became a key member of the beloved, star-studded 1972–73 Knicks team that captured the NBA title. And now, on the 40th anniversary of that championship season—the franchise's last—Monroe is finally ready to tell his remarkable story. Written with bestselling author Quincy Troupe (Miles, The Pursuit of Happyness) Earl the Pearl will retrace Monroe's life from his upbringing in a tough South Philadelphia neighborhood through his record-setting days at Winston-Salem State, to his NBA Rookie of the Year season in 1967, his tremendous years with the Baltimore Bullets and ultimately his redemptive, championship glory with the New York Knicks. The book will culminate with a revealing epilogue in which Monroe reflects on the events of the past 40 years, offers his insights into the NBA today, and his thoughts on the future of the game he loves.




NBA Jam


Book Description

When NBA Jam dunked its way into arcades in 1993, players discovered just how fun basketball can be when freed from rules, refs, and gravity itself. But just a few years after the billion-dollar hit conquered the world, developer Midway, publisher Acclaim, and video arcades themselves fell off the map. How did a simple two-on-two basketball game become MVP of the arcade, and how did this champ lose its title? Journalist Reyan Ali dives deep into the saga, tracking the people and decisions that shaped the series. You'll get to know mischievous Jam architect Mark Turmell, go inside Midway's Chicago office where hungry young talent tapped into cutting-edge tech, and explore the sequels, spin-offs, and tributes that came in the game's wake. Built out of exhaustive research and original interviews with a star-studded cast —including Turmell and his original development team, iconic commentator Tim Kitzrow, businessmen and developers at Midway and Acclaim alike, secret characters George Clinton and DJ Jazzy Jeff, Doom co-creator John Romero, and 1990s NBA demigods Glen Rice and Shaq—Ali's NBA Jam returns you to an era when coin-op was king.




Don't Know Tough


Book Description

WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD WINNER OF THE PETER LOVESEY FIRST CRIME NOVEL CONTEST Friday Night Lights gone dark with Southern Gothic; Eli Cranor delivers a powerful noir that will appeal to fans of Wiley Cash and Megan Abbott. In Denton, Arkansas, the fate of the high school football team rests on the shoulders of Billy Lowe, a volatile but talented running back. Billy comes from an extremely troubled home: a trailer park where he is terrorized by his mother’s abusive boyfriend. Billy takes out his anger on the field, but when his savagery crosses a line, he faces suspension. Without Billy Lowe, the Denton Pirates can kiss their playoff bid goodbye. But the head coach, Trent Powers, who just moved from California with his wife and two children for this job, has more than just his paycheck riding on Billy’s bad behavior. As a born-again Christian, Trent feels a divine calling to save Billy—save him from his circumstances, and save his soul. Then Billy’s abuser is found murdered in the Lowe family trailer, and all evidence points toward Billy. Now nothing can stop an explosive chain of violence that could tear the whole town apart on the eve of the playoffs.




Lightlark (The Lightlark Saga Book 1)


Book Description

A gripping, propulsive YA fantasy novel from award-winning author and social media superstar Alex Aster, “Lightlark is an ebullient, fast-paced fantasy with a beautifully rendered world that seethes with intrigue, romance and tension. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough” (#1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir) An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller Welcome to the Centennial. Every hundred years, the island of Lightlark appears for only 100 days to host a deadly game, where the rulers of six realms fight to break their curses and win unparalleled power. Each ruler has something to hide. Each curse is uniquely wicked. To break them—and save themselves and their realms—one ruler must die. To survive, Isla Crown must lie, cheat, and betray. Even as love complicates everything . . . Includes Select Exclusive Excerpts from Nightbane, the Second Book in the Lightlark Saga




When the Beat Was Born


Book Description

Before there was hip hop, there was DJ Kool Herc. On a hot day at the end of summer in 1973 Cindy Campbell threw a back-to-school party at a park in the South Bronx. Her brother, Clive Campbell, spun the records. He had a new way of playing the music to make the breaks—the musical interludes between verses—longer for dancing. He called himself DJ Kool Herc and this is When the Beat Was Born. From his childhood in Jamaica to his youth in the Bronx, Laban Carrick Hill's book tells how Kool Herc came to be a DJ, how kids in gangs stopped fighting in order to breakdance, and how the music he invented went on to define a culture and transform the world.




Kobe Bryant


Book Description

After 20 unforgettable years in the NBA, Kobe Bryant is calling it a career. All he’s done in those two decades is establish himself as one of the best to ever play the game, arguably the greatest Laker ever and the most popular athlete in the history of Los Angeles sports. The Black Mamba’s path to iconic status started quietly as the 13th pick of the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets but with a draft day trade to the legendary Lakers, the rest is resounding history. Kobe’s credentials are impeccable with five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, one NBA regular season MVP, 18 All-Star game appearances and countless other accolades to his name. Kobe Bryant: Laker for Life is the ultimate tribute to the Lakers superstar as he concludes his legendary career, covering 20 years of hardwood genius. Including nearly 100 full-color photographs, fans are provided a glimpse into the early days of Kobe’s career, bursting onto the NBA scene winning the Slam Dunk Contest to his individual brilliance and NBA titles with the Lakers to his celebratory swan song through the league during his final season. A must-have keepsake for Lakers fans and Kobe aficionados alike, Kobe Bryant is the perfect commemoration of a Los Angeles icon and Laker for Life.




Iron Age


Book Description

In the beginning, he was one of nine-the Wu-Tang Clan's first swordsman. But much more than just 11.11% of a greater entity, Ghostface Killah established himself as a seminal rapper in hip-hop history and one of the greatest artists to skulk the planet. In a series of essays that blend music criticism, cultural examination, and personal appreciation, Dean Van Nguyen examines every side of Ghost's bionic make-up. This essential collection is for students of East Coast rap, comic book culture, grindhouse cinema, and New York history. Most of all, it's for fans of the almighty Ghostface Killah, one of the most thrilling, fascinating rappers of our time.